Dr Feng, a senior lecturer at the university’s School of Geography and Geosciences, said: “It is well known that pet ownership may help alleviate feelings of loneliness and depression in older people, but one area that has received little attention is the effect of dog ownership on the physical activity levels of the elderly.

“Our results show that dog ownership is associated with an increased level of physical activity in the over-65s. On average, older dog owners were 12 per cent more active than their counterparts.”

The study monitored the activity of 547 elderly people in Tayside, with an average age of 79.

It found that dog owners showed significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression, while doing the same amount of physical activity as a person 10 years younger.

Dr Feng added: “Our findings suggest that there may be merit in investigating whether dog ‘owning’ or ‘loaning’ might be a plausible public health intervention to promote physical activity.”